Gilda’s Hogget Fleece

By Pam, on September 22nd, 2008

Gilda's fleece and the yarn sample I made using the dog comb flicking method. The yarn is spun in the grease but here it's been washed.

I’m spinning Gilda’s hogget fleece now — flicking the raw locks with a dog comb and spinning them randomly. The fleece is multicolored and the resulting yarn is amazing! What a change her fleece has undergone with age. I think this is the most dramatic one we’ve ever had! Gilda had two really lovely natural colored ewe lambs last year and both are still here. Can’t wait to seeing their hogget fleeces on the skirting table this Spring!

2 comments to Gilda’s Hogget Fleece

I would like to know how any hours it takes to flick all the staples from an average 6-lb. fleece in the grease. Do you have these figures? I am using a small wire dog brush and may have taken on more than I thought in the way of time consumption. Thank you, Teri D.

Hi Teri D. It can take some time to get through a whole fleece. It will depend a lot on the fleece. A finer/crimpier fleece will take longer to flick than a longwool with big crimps/waves. I find that switching tasks makes it easier. Flick a big bunch of locks, spin them and then go back to flicking. That way, boredom doesn’t get the best of you. If you find that flicking isn’t to your liking, you may be able to get a similar result from gently washing the locks and then randomly passing them through a carding machine just one time to open them up. When you remove the batt from the machine, it should be a mix of colors. If you’re tempted to do another pass through the machine, remember that each time you do that, the colors will become more blended. Try to spin your batt without fussing over it so the resulting yarn is heathered. I hope this was helpful, Teri. Good luck!